"Look, Mom!", says my son, holding up two yogurt cups to his chest. "I'm a lady!"

She's here!

We are so happy to announce the birth of our. . .daughter!! Last Friday, our second little girl was born, healthy and beautiful. We were so happy to finally meet her. My 9 year old daughter was especially thrilled to have a sister, but the boys were also ecstatic. She was 7 lb., 12 oz., and 20" long. She has lots of dark hair, but we expect it to turn blond like the rest of her sibs.

We have been home now for a few days and are getting used to our "new normal". Besides resting up from my c-section, much of my time is spent making sure our sweet little girl doesn't get hurt from the well-meaning overtures of love from her brothers.

God's blessings are great, and our newest miracle shows this in full. Praise God for his beautiful creation, our little baby girl!

Baby school

As I sit here at the computer, I am listening to my children play "Baby School" in the family room. My oldest is teaching the younger kids how to take care of the baby. They are bathing her dolls, putting the dolls in the swing, burping them, giving them pacifiers, putting them down for a nap. It is incredibly sweet (although I did witness some vigorous hair brushing on a doll by my 3 year old. Note to self - 3 year old is not quite ready for baby's personal grooming).

In other news, today is our 13th anniversary. Our "golden" anniversary - 13 years on the 13th. As I think back about that day, it seems so long ago. We seemed so young and inexperienced. While we always wanted a large family, I imagine it would have been inconceivable for me to imagine that on our 13th anniversary we would be expecting our 5th child. So many blessings God has bestowed upon us. I am very thankful for my dear husband, the love of my life. I thought I loved him then - how little did I know that I had only just begun loving him!

Good news!

At a party last night, I was talking to a friend who works for the hospital where I will be delivering my baby next week. She passed along some lovely information. . .I am eligible to stay for one night longer than I thought I could!

Some people are in a hurry to get out of the hospital. I am not one of them. Why, I ask you, WHY would I want to leave a place where:

- someone brings me all my meals (that I have chosen from a menu, did not shop for, prepare, and will not clean up)

- someone changes my sheets much more frequently than I do at home

- someone will bring me my baby at night when I need to nurse, and after I am finished, will take him or her back to the nursery so I can sleep

- if I have any sort of pain or concern, someone will be at my bedside at the push of a button to give me medication or advice

- there is no laundry to wash/fold/put away, no fights to break up, no meals to prepare

- I have free reign of the remote control for a TV that has many more channels than we do at home.

In short, I regard the maternity hospital stay as a vacation. Yes, it is a vacation with some pain (does that make it a paincation?), but there is also a fabulous blessing to take home afterward. I thoroughly look forward to my stay there, and was quite pleased to realize I could stay a day longer if needed!

In earnest supplication. . .

My 5 year old's prayer tonight:

Dear Jesus,

Please can you help me be good and not naughty. And please don't let me be eaten by alligators. People kill alligators and make purses and shoes out of them.

Amen.